For many years, youth policy was designed 'for' young people but rarely 'with' them. That paradigm has been shifting slowly but clearly: decisions are increasingly taken alongside data and with youth participation.
An evidence-based approach requires policymakers to act on field research and both quantitative and qualitative data, rather than gut instinct. That is why the outputs of the research programmes we run at GEGET form the backbone of the policy reports we share with local governments.
Participation, meanwhile, means positioning young people not merely as survey subjects but as stakeholders throughout the process. Workshops, focus groups, youth council meetings, and digital consultation platforms are concrete tools for this kind of engagement.
In the period ahead, we expect these two approaches to combine more powerfully, with transparent and measurable youth policy becoming more common. GEGET will continue to be an active part of this change.